On Monday, President Trump broke his near silence on the death of Sen. John McCain. At an evening dinner honoring evangelical leaders, Trump briefly spoke about the late senator who died on Saturday.

President Donald Trump: “Also, our hearts and prayers are going to the family of Senator John McCain. There’s going to be a lot of activity over the next number of days. And we very much appreciate everything that Senator McCain has done for our country. So, thank you very much.”

Trump had faced widespread criticism for initially rejecting a statement written by his aides praising McCain. The Trump administration also re-lowered the White House flag on Monday, after coming under criticism for not keeping it at half-staff to honor McCain. Trump had faced tremendous pressure from within his own party over his handling of McCain’s death. On the floor of the Senate, Republican Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia warned against anyone speaking ill of John McCain.

Sen. Johnny Isakson: “But anybody who in any way tarnishes the reputation of John McCain deserves a whipping.”

Meanwhile, John McCain’s family has released the late senator’s final letter to the American people. McCain’s former campaign manager Rick Davis read the letter.

Rick Davis: “'We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been.'”